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About five hours after rolling in one final putt to win the Masters at stately Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday, Bubba Watson and his crew rolled into a Waffle House just after midnight.

Through a celebration at the regional cultural icon – Watson plowed through his usual order of two grilled cheese sandwiches and hash browns smothered – the big hitting lefty from the Florida panhandle city of Baghdad started to reminisce about his journey to the eastern part of Georgia and his second green jacket in three years.

Part of the recall for the man who one-putted 11 times in the final round to defeat Jordan Spieth and Jonas Blixt by three shots included a missed putt earlier this year that convinced him he was on the right path heading to Magnolia Lane and beyond.

Watson told USA TODAY Sports on Monday that the five-footer he missed on the 72nd hole that would have forced a playoff with Kevin Stadler in the Waste Management Phoenix Open proved better days were ahead.

"I could have pouted and been angry for a while, but I went to L.A. two weeks later and won," Watson said about his victory in the Northern Trust Open. "Because I didn't get mad in Phoenix. I was blessed to have come in second place. You have to strive to feel that way, and I think, over the past two years, when I became a family man, and working on my family life as much as my golf life, I've gotten much better. That perspective, being a dad, being a better husband, is important."

Watson was on the phone in his Florida home, just a few hours after his son, Caleb, hit golf balls in the front yard. That's what Caleb wanted to do as soon as he got home and dad wasn't about to say no. The toddler has had a profound effect on Watson since he and his wife, Angie, adopted him just before the 2012 Masters.

"Every day I try to get better as a father. It's like golf, I guess, it takes practice," said Watson, who doesn't know when he make his next start on the PGA Tour. "If I become a better husband, the part of being a better father will shine through. I'm giving my wife the best I have to offer her, let her have time to herself, to rest, and she loves to see me play with our son. That makes her smile.

" … When we were going through the process of the adoption, I didn't know what to expect being a dad. I mean, who wants to change a dirty diaper, you know what I'm saying? But now, changing his diapers doesn't even bother me. That's my boy. I'll do anything for him. But at first, all these thoughts go through your head. But Caleb has changed my personality, changed who I am, and hopefully made me a better person."

When Watson won his first Masters, Caleb and Angie were in Florida. On Sunday, the two were on the 18th green, with Caleb waddling toward his teary-eyed dad as thousands of patrons looked on.

"It was more than a dream. It was overwhelming, a joyful moment," Watson said. "Seeing my son, accomplishing something great in my career, and having my wife there and my son there was amazing.

"I never thought I could win the first time. To do it a second time is crazy."

A third time wouldn't surprise anyone. Following his Masters victory in 2012, Watson went 0-for-37 in official starts on the PGA Tour, amassing just nine top-10s, as he grappled with increased fame and expectations and the dynamic of being a father. He finished in a tie for 50th in his 2013 defense at the Masters, didn't make it to the Tour Championship by Coca-Cola and didn't make the Presidents Cup team.

Stung by his results – and inspired by his caddie, Ted Scott – the man with self-diagnosed attention deficit disorder committed to increased attention to his golf while paying attention to becoming a better husband and father.

He's nearly won four times this season – he finished runner-up in the Phoenix Open and the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship – and has risen to No. 4 in the world golf rankings. With his game back in order, any course, especially Augusta National, is tailored to his power, trajectory, creativity and soft touch on the greens.

Scott urged Watson in China last year at the WGC-HSBC Champions to commit to a timetable to improve his attitude and game.

"The No. 1 member on my team on the golf course is Teddy. In China when I finished eighth, he said, 'Look, you give me this kind of focus on the golf course for the next six months, and rejoice in all the great things in your life, and let's see where will be in six months,'" Watson said. "I made a commitment to do that and it's worked.

"I hope we don't have a long hangover after the Masters this time, but at the same time, it's not easy playing on the PGA Tour. There are a lot of very good players and a lot of great players. It's not easy to win. But I have a better attitude now and life is great, so we'll see what happens."

Patrons sit at tables under umbrellas near the clubhouse and first tee during the final round of the 2014 Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Michael Madrid USA TODAY Sports)

Oliver Goss, of Australia, and his caddie Brian Tam look for Goss' ball after hitting out of a bunker on the first fairway during the fourth round of the Masters golf tournament. (Photo: Charlie Riedel AP)